


Teasing Belle comes with a Price

by LucidaCentury (Sephora909)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Dark Castle, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-20
Updated: 2014-04-24
Packaged: 2018-01-20 03:36:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1495111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sephora909/pseuds/LucidaCentury
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumplestiltskin has never been good at expressing his feelings, and sometimes they get out of hand. (edit 04/04/16: now with an audio version)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [Give it a heart on Tumblr?](http://lucidacentury.tumblr.com/post/83311106457/teasing-belle-comes-with-a-price)
> 
> Audio version chapters: [1](http://lucidacentury.tumblr.com/post/140025003696/hi-i-wanted-to-work-on-my-english-accent-so-i) and [2](http://lucidacentury.tumblr.com/post/141084751641/im-sure-youve-all-been-dying-to-hear-the-second)

Rumplestiltskin had lived long enough to think nothing would surprise him anymore. And yet his little caretaker managed to do just that on a daily basis. He hadn’t expected her to be so hardworking. After all, she only promised to go with him for all eternity, nothing was said about efficiency. And yet, the Dark Castle was slowly becoming as bright as his maid’s smile. More surprisingly, she also took good care of him. Instead of being glad he wouldn’t show up to take his meals or his tea break, she would go and fetch him in his laboratory. She would even go as far as scolding him for not finishing his plate.

Truly, this Miss French was a mystery to him. And he enjoyed solving mysteries more than anything. Therefore, it shouldn’t have surprised him so when he realized he had grown quite fond of the woman with whom he shared his roof. He’s always had problems with expressing his feelings, but sometimes, they would get out of hand.

One night, when he was walking his caretaker back to her “room”, she had the audacity to point out:

“You know, you don’t have to lock me up here every night. I’m quite aware there would be no way for me to escape the Dark One should I try to.”

The woman had tried to sound casual about her remark, but she should have known Rumplestiltskin wouldn’t let her get away with questioning his logic.

“And where exactly is this flattery supposed to lead you?”

He stopped walking and stared at her to intimidate her. However, she must have thought her request was fair, since she stared back. Rumplestiltskin flinched a bit – he still wasn’t used to her standing up to him – but he quickly hid it away with a grin.

“I was just hinting that I may have worked hard enough to deserve a decent room.”

That woman had pluck, even more than some so-called knights who tried to slay him, he’ll give her that. But he’d be mad to reward it. She seemed to often forget that she belonged to him now, and he was only too happy to help her remember her place.

“Why don’t we make a deal?” Rumplestiltskin suggested.

His little caretaker frowned at this proposition and looked at him warily. The poor girl had no idea what she had just asked him.

“Here’s my offer: you can stay in the dungeon, or… come and sleep in my bedchamber.”

His maid’s eyes widened in shock and she gaped at him. Before she could say anything, he added:

“And of course, sharing my bed comes with a price.”

In case his innuendo wasn’t obvious enough, he suggestively wriggled his eyebrows. That was the last straw for his caretaker: she turned bright red. At first, Rumplestiltskin wasn’t sure whether it was in embarrassment or in anger. Then her frown deepened until she looked truly outraged. The Dark One nearly took a step backward when she took one forward. This wasn’t going as planned.

“You know what else comes with a price? Talking to me like I’m a whore! You dirty lizard!”

SLAP! The sound of the smack echoed throughout the castle. It took some time for Rumplestiltskin to register what happened. His hand slowly went to stroke his burning cheek. Had Belle… slapped him? When he looked back at her, she had already resumed her walk back to her cell, not caring in the least what he would do to her for this insult. He frowned at her in the distance.

“That was just a quip,” he argued so weakly she couldn’t have heard him.

Of course she was disgusted by the idea of sharing his bed. Who wouldn’t? That was something his curse hadn’t changed. Tonight, he would sleep in his far too large bed with the imprint of his caretaker’s dainty hand on his rough cheek for only company.


	2. Chapter 2

It didn’t take long for Belle to notice that Rumplestiltskin was avoiding her since the night she slapped him. Not only didn’t he come anymore to lock the door of her cell, but he also used his exceptionally bad mood as a weapon to keep her at bay. It worked the first few days, since Belle thought and hoped it would pass for she absolutely didn’t want to bring up the subject of sharing his bed. Yet the more she stayed away from him, the more he sulked and snapped at her.

Deciding it had to stop, Belle took it upon her to solve his behavior problem, whether either of them wanted it or not. She seized the opportunity that he missed tea time to bring it to him in his laboratory up his turret. The few times she had done so, he had gotten quite mad at her since he kept highly dangerous and rare things in here. But the more eager he would be for her to leave, the faster they would shout at each other and get everything off their chest.

When she arrived at the top of the staircase with the tea tray, he didn’t even glance at her.

“Put it down and leave. I’m working,” he snarled.

Belle took a deep breath and sighed. She did put the tray down on the nearest table, but she didn’t stop on her way to the grumpy wizard. Rumplestiltskin visibly tensed with each step she took, and controlling his temper was a feat to be behold when Belle rested her behind against the edge of the table he was working at.

“Have I done something wrong?” she asked softly.

“Yes, you’re sitting two inches away from a deadly powdered poison.”

The brunette did no more than glance at the saucer full of red powder before focusing back on the Dark One.

“Rumplestiltskin,” she called him to urge him to answer her seriously. “I know something is bothering you and I’d like to help you, but I can’t if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”

“What is wrong is that I forbid you to come here and yet here you are!” Rumplestiltskin got up in his rage and stood close to her. “Now leave before I make you.”

His words were dripping with a poison alike the one on his table. His gaze on her was intense and petrifying. Yet she was observant enough to notice that while one of his hands showed her the exit, the other was against his cheek. The one she had slapped. Belle really didn’t want to talk about it, but it seemed she had no other choice.

“It’s… because of the slap… Isn’t it?”

The Dark One dropped his intimidating stance at once. His anger vanished to leave only anguish in its place. Just like the beautiful woman in front of him, the beast cast his eyes downward.

“Well, I’m not going to sleep with you just to stop your sulking,” his caretaker said with a nervous laugh.

Rumplestiltskin’s gaze immediately came back to Belle when he heard the torment in her voice. Her eyes were clouded with tears, and she almost sounded like she regretted her decision of not sleeping with him. Then realization hit him.

“You didn’t really… thought that I…”

The horror that seized him was one he never thought he would experience again. The disgust at himself for letting his innocent maid believe he was capable of such an atrocity was a hard blow. Even harder than the one which followed the slap some days ago.

“Belle, I wasn’t serious. I’m a monster, but certainly not a rapist.”

Slowly, Belle forced her watery eyes to meet his. Her sudden relief at finding out he never threatened her virtue was quickly replaced by a strong guilt. His distorted face clearly showed how her accusation had shattered him. His whole being shook with revulsion. His deep frown digged lines on his forehead which she thought would never fade. He looked close to breaking down.

“I… I’m sorry, I should have…” Belle didn’t know how to express what she felt, she knew one wrong word would ruin their relationship forever. “I’m really sorry I hurt you by thinking something so horrible about you. I’m terribly ashamed of myself.”

From the bottom of her heart, Belle hoped Rumplestiltskin could heal from the blow she had dealt to him. Yet he made no move, no sound, to show he accepted her apologies.

“Will you please forgive me?” she asked with all the sincerity and honesty she had in her.

She kept staring at him, waiting for his answer. Then one corner of his mouth slowly turned up.

“Only if you accept this,” he softly answered.

With a cloud of magic, he conjured a key in his hand.

“What does it open?” the brunette carefully asked.

“Your new room,” the Dark One retorted flatly. “It’s right next to mine. There’s even a communicating door if you change your mind about my former offer,” he added with some of his usual playfulness.

Rumplestiltskin didn’t dare to fully grin at her. He didn’t even quite dare to meet her eyes. In truth, he half expected to get slapped again. But Belle only smiled her sweetest smile at him. Before he could realize she wasn’t mad at him, she stood on tiptoe and softly kissed him on the cheek she slapped.

“I’ll think about it, dirty lizard,” she whispered in his ear.

She left the laboratory with a light step, looking happy and proud of her. She kissed him. Belle had kissed him after he made a suggestion no less shameful than the one he got slapped for. She definitely was a mystery, his little caretaker. A chuckle slipped out of his parted lips. Rumplestiltskin was utterly confused. But he knew one thing for sure: he was happy.


End file.
